His Maid, Her Butler

You stood outside, throwing a stick around for Pluto to fetch. He was doing so gladly. As he dropped it at your feet, you ruffled his hair. “What’s a Demon Hound like you doing in a place like this?” You rubbed your nose against his. “I don’t get why Sebastian could hate a creature like you, you’re so cute!” Pluto grinned at your compliment and licked your cheek, barking happily.

It was certainly curious to you about the other tenants of the house. You knew a little about their lives from their records, but it was still odd to you to find all the mishaps in one place. Pluto began to whine as you stared off into space; he got your attention by tackling you to the ground and licking your face.

“Pluto,” you giggled. “What was that for?” Pluto nuzzled his face against your shoulder and barked. “You want to play again? I’m sorry boy, but I’ve got to get back inside. I have work to do.”

Pluto sat up and gave you that puppy-dog look, with a whimper to boot. “No, no.” You waved off his plea to play. “I have to get back, no matter how much fun it was.”

Crawling off of you, Pluto sat down next to you and hung his head. You felt sorry for leaving him out there all by himself, but then you got an idea. “What if I got Finny to play with you?”

Pluto perked up at the thought of another person to play with. “Arf! Arf!” He tackled you again.

You pushed him off and got to your feet. “Then I’ll go find him, you wait here.”

Pluto sat patiently as you ran to the shed to find Finny. He was there alright; asleep. Poking him roughly in the arm, he rolled over and sat up sleepily. “What is it?” When he noticed it was you, he quickly got to his feet. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I just…well…”

“Well what?” you asked, eyebrow raised.

“Bard and I stayed up later than usual playing cards. He kept beatin’ me, so I insisted we play until I won.” Finny hung hiss head.

“And did you win?” you asked.

Finny shook his head. “No. Bard fell asleep after about twenty rounds and so I decided to go to bed then, but even after that, I couldn’t sleep. I was too angry at Bard for beating me.”

You chuckled. “Well, I have just the thing to wake you up. There’s a certain someone who would like to be played with.”

Finny quirked his head back up. “Play with who?”

“Come on.” You led him back around to where Pluto still sat, waiting for you to return. At the sight of you, his face broke into a silly grin and he rushed for you.
“Arf!” Pluto said, wrapping his arms around you in a welcome hug.

“See, I brought Finny. He’s going to play with you for a while,” you said, giving Finny a wink. “Have fun.”

Finny scratched the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly. “Sure will!”

Pluto lunged for Finny and barked at him happily. Grabbing his stick with his teeth, he brought it to Finny who took it and threw it, a little too far for Pluto’s liking; he was giving Finny a look that asked ‘are you really that stupid?’

You slipped away while Finny was trying to retrieve the stick. Reentering the kitchen, you found Brad attempting to prepare the afternoon meal. He was slicing the venison from the night before.

“Good job,” you remarked.

Bard jumped. “Did you just…”

“Yes,” you confessed. “I just gave you a compliment on how you were doing.”

A broad smile painted Bard’s face. Taking you by surprise, he gave a hug. “Thank-you so much! That hard head Sebastian doesn’t ever give a thought about how well I do. I’m perfectly capable of making an edible meal.”

You scrunched your nose. “So, does that mean you usually don’t?”

Bard stared down at you and his features fell. “You could say something like that. No one’s ever liked my cooking; then again, I can’t blame them. I wasn’t actually…a cook before here, but I like my job. It puts me to use.”

You wriggled out of his hold and came to the counter. “Would you like me to help teach you?”

Bard glanced up at you. “Are you serious?”

You nodded. “As serious as a woman can be.”

Another broad grin lit Bard’s face. “Awright! I’m your student as of today.” Picking his knife back up, he returned to cutting the meat.

You found a frying pan and heated the stove so you could cook the venison, along with a side of beans. You grabbed out all of the ingredients for the meal and placed them along the counter in a procession. Bard watched you out of the corner of his eye, noting what you used and didn’t use, so he would know for future reference.

“Bard, is the meat ready?” you asked, gathering the spices to be used next to the stove.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, it’s right here.” He picked up the cutting board and brought it over to you.
You pointed to the pan. “Go on and put a few pieces on. Lay them side-by-side. When the centers on the top side look like they’re starting to turn a slight dark pale pink, or grey, flip them; no sooner, no latter. Can you manage that to start with?”

“Yeah, I’m sure I can,” said Brad, laying the first piece of meat into the pan.

You watched as he lined them up and started to lightly push them around so as not to get them to stick to the pan. Leaving his side, you rummaged around in the cabinets, hoping to get familiar with where everything was put. You hadn’t been gone long when a sharp crash sounded from behind. Spinning around, you half expected to see Bard standing over a splatter of meat, but he was still at the stove, carefully following the instructions you had given him. Exiting the kitchen, you went through the rooms till you found Mey-Rin, but she was only standing around dusting a small chamber. Then you thought of Finny. Rushing back to the kitchen, you ran out the door and saw him and Pluto staring towards the south side of the house.

“Finny, what was that crash?” you asked as you reached his side.

Finny scratched the back of his neck. “Um…I kind of threw the stick a little too hard and…”

Pluto pulled at your dress and dragged you along till he brought you to a lower window. In the center of it, there was a gaping hole. You groaned. ‘How am I to explain this to Sebastian?’ “We’re going to have to do something about this. Are there any old sheets out in the shed that we could possibly use to cover up the hole till I can get Sebastian to look into it?” you asked, petting Pluto on the head; he didn’t want to leave your side.

“Yeah, I think there are,” said Finny. “I’ll go check.”

Finny ran off and you inspected the hole. It wasn’t too big, but big enough to notice a while off. You sighed and looked at Pluto who had followed you over. “What am I to do Pluto? In the Underworld, things like this don’t usually happen. Then again, most human things don’t happen.” Pluto snuggled close to your side. “Thankfully we have pets like you there to cheer us up.”

Pluto barked and stood up on his feet, wrapping you in a bear hug. You giggled as he buried his face in your neck. “Okay, okay, I love you too.”

Finny returned in the middle of it, a tattered sheet flying behind him. “I found one!” he called out.

You gently pushed Pluto off of yourself and took the sheet from him. “Good, now let’s go find the scene of the crime.”

Finny followed you into the house; Bard gave you a thumbs up as you came through the kitchen, telling you all was going well; you could tell just by the smell. You proceeded to the allotted area that the stick had entered and began to check all the rooms. You ended up finding it in one of the bedrooms.

“Whose bedroom is this?” you asked, retrieving the stick from a chair in the corner.

“It’s the one Miss Elizabeth uses when she stays,” answered Finny.

You made a little hissing sound. “I hope she won’t be staying for a while.” You examined the floor; most of the glass had come into the room. “Finny, go get the broom, and a waste basket to put all this in, please.”

Finny left to fetch the items you requested and you began to find a way to hang the sheet up. Pulling the chair over, you stood on it and wrapped an end of the sheet to the curtain rod. A knock sounded on the door and you turned your head to see Sebastian standing in the doorway.

“Sebastian!” You turned around, a little too quickly, and tripped.

Sebastian caught you before you could hit the floor. You gripped his coat for dear life. “Orea, may I ask as to what you are doing in here?” he asked.

Opening you eyes, you look up at him and your face grew hot. He was so close, no more than a breaths span away. You were for sure blushing, but he said nothing. “I...I was just trying to hang a sheet up to cover the hole Finny made.” You said, catching your breath.

Sebastian let out an exasperated sigh. “How?”

It took you a moment to get what he was saying. “He was playing with Pluto and he threw a stick for him to fetch, but he threw it a little too hard and ended up sending it in here.”

Sebastian groaned. “I am to go out with the young master today. How am I going to be able to manage leaving with them here?”

You frowned at him. “Ahem, I’m here.”

He grinned. “Yes, I know you are,” he said, whispering in your ear.

Your face grew very hot and your heart raced, but Sebastian just grinned at you. Footsteps were able to be heard running towards you; Sebastian put you back onto your feet and waited for Finny to arrive.

“I have the broom and waste basket!” He entered to find a stern faced Sebastian staring at him. “Uh, hi there Mr. Sebastian. Lovely day, no?”

“I want you to clean up this mess, then, I want you to go put that…dog…back on his leash.” Sebastian cringed as he said the word dog; it wasn’t much, but you still noticed.

Finny hung his head. “Yes, Mr. Sebastian.”

Sebastian then left the room and you watched as Finny came over to the window and began to sweep up the mess. You took the broom as he started to get it all into a pile. “Why don’t you let me do this? You go on and see to Pluto.”
Finny stared at you. “Are you sure? The duty was given to me.”

You gave him a wink. “Go, I’ve got it covered.”

Finny broke out in a grin and gave you a hug. “Thank-you!” He burst out of the room at full speed and you peered out the window to watch as he and Pluto ran for the woods. When they were out of sight, you planted yourself in front of the window and raised your hand to it. “Now for a little detail work.” You visualized the window as whole, no flaws. Slowly, the window began to piece itself back together; every little shard that had broken connected like a jigsaw puzzle, but without all the cracks. The window finished looking just as it had before. You smiled at your work and picked up the broom and waste basket from where Finny had dropped them. “Good as new.”

You made your way back to the kitchen; a delicious smell was wafting down the hallway. Upon entering, Bard rushed over to you and grabbed you by the arms. “I did it! I actually cooked something good!”

“That’s great to hear, Bard,” you said, shaking off his grip to put away the items in your hands.

Bard was beaming. “Sebastian came in and was giving me the eye, but when he sampled my work, he was actually speechless!” He punched his fist in the air. “Take that Mr. Perfect!”

Your hand flew to your mouth, holding back your laughter. It was true, Sebastian wished for things to be exact. “I’m glad all is well. Is it ready for the table?”

To answer your question, Sebastian strode in and assembled the cart. “Bard, I do hope all is well with this meal. The young master is very busy today and cannot afford to be ill.”

You wrinkled your nose in distaste to Sebastian’s scrutiny. “Listen here mister! Just because he might not be able to do something right, that doesn’t give you the right to treat him like dirt. We all make mistakes, but we learn and do better. So stop picking on him!” You pointed your finger right in Sebastian’s face, making him back up a bit.

You watched as he caught on and pulled himself back together. Turning towards Bard, he bowed. “I do hope you will forgive me; I have not given you enough credit. Please, continue to do your best.”

Bard blinked in surprise. “Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks.”

Back to a standing position, Sebastian took hold of the cart and wheeled it out of the kitchen. You watched him leave, an ere of grace about him. It hurt to watch him leave; you thought it wouldn’t take long for him to remember, but it seemed like all was forgotten and it hurt your heart to even think of what might have happened during the binding of the contract. But that didn’t matter at the time, all you wanted was Sebastian; that had been why you had left your post as Head to come and find him.

Blowing off Sebastian’s false act, you turned to Bard who was still staring off, dumbfounded. “Come one, you still have a lot to do.” Picking up the rag used for the dishes, you filled the sink and began to clean the items that were dirty. Bard brought you everything as he finished with it, giving you a good amount to do. There were three courses and each was ready on time, making you happy that all was going well. Sebastian didn’t complain again the rest of the meal. Each time he returned, it was to give you a plate and take out the next one. Bard was in a good mood as he finished his duties.

“I’m off now,” he said, wiping up the spills on the stove. “If you need anything, come find me!” He started to whistle a merry tune as he strode off down the hallway.

You chuckled and continued your work. Mey-Rin entered as you were completing the washing part of the dishes. “May I help?” she asked.

“Sure can.” You handed her a towel. “Start drying and I’ll put them away.”

Taking the towel from you hand, Mey-Rin carefully picked up a plate and dried it. She worked slowly, making sure she didn’t lose concentration and slip up, dropping the dish. You watched her as she did, but you didn’t complain; she wasn’t breaking anything and that was a good thing. As she handed you the last plate, she hesitated.

“Um…Miss Orea, may I ask of you something?” Her face broke out in a blush.

“What is it child?” you took the plate and returned it to its home.

Placing the towel neatly on the counter, she again hesitated. “What do you think of…Mr. Sebastian?”

That caught your attention. “Well, I’ve only known him a day. I can’t really say yet, but from so far, he’s a kind fellow. Very caring and always wants what’s best for others. Why?”

A shy smile broke out on her face. “No reason, really.”

“Okay,” you said, a grin of understanding crossing your lips.

Mey-Rin giggled and waved a good-bye, leaving you to yourself. Tanaka was the next to find you. He came in and sat down at the little table that you all ate at and sipped his tea quietly.

“Ho,ho,ho,” was all he said.

You laughed. “So it’s you and me, huh Tanaka?” He just sat there, staring at you and drinking his tea. You started to wonder about something as you stood there staring back at him. “Tanaka, can I trust you with a secret?”

“Ho,ho,ho,” Tanaka responded.

“I take that as a yes.” Setting yourself down across from him, you told him about Sebastian. “Tanaka, I’ve come here for Sebastian, but after seeing him like this…it’s hard to know he doesn’t remember anything. I can tell that everyone here has a unique past, quite different from the ‘normal’ everyone would think of. I, too, am not as exact as I claim to be. I have another identity, and the only other one here who knows, or should I say, did, know it, is Sebastian. I hate to be secretive about all of this, but it’s confidential stuff and I can’t just go throwing it out to everyone. I want to make myself known to Sebastian so I can make this misery go away; I do love him so.” Putting your face in your arms, you wept. A hand was placed on your shoulder a moment later, making you jump.

“You love him, that’s what matters.” You looked up to see Tanaka in his regular form. “Continue to watch over him from a distance, that’s the best you can do for him right now. In time, he’ll come around and the two of you will be happy again; but until that day comes, just watch and wait.”

You sniffed and wiped your nose on your apron. “Thank-you Tanaka, you knew just what to say.”

He smiled at you. “I try to be of service.”

Standing, you hugged him. He was startled by your actions, but he responded by hugging you back. He held you till you had cried your eyes dry and were able to stop hiccupping, then he moved back over to his side and in the blink of an eye, he was a short little man again.

You smiled sweetly at him. Pushing yourself away from the table, you walked over to him and kissed his forehead. “Thank-you, Tanaka, for everything.”

“Ho,ho,ho,” replied Tanaka.

Leaving the kitchen, you ran into Sebastian who was coming to make one more inspection before leaving. “Oof!”

Sebastian caught you by the arm to keep you from falling. “Are you alright?”

You blushed. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Good, then I can request something of you,” said Sebastian.

“What is it?” you asked.

“About that window Finny broke, do you think you could do something to fix it? I understand you put a sheet over it, but that won’t work for long. Do you think you could call a repair shop?” he asked.

You curtsied. “Already taken care of. Looks good as new.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened. “You got someone fast! Good work.”

You smiled inwardly. “Thank-you. I shall leave you now so you can return to the young master for the rest of the day.”

“Yes, I do have to return to the young master quickly. Thank-you again.” Sebastian bowed out and left quickly.
You watched as he disappeared down the hall and vanish from your sight. You continued to stand there, unthinking, unmoving; you had no idea why you couldn’t just stop thinking about him for a moment. ‘I know I want to get him back, but I also need to focus on getting along here first.’ Leaving the hallway, you returned to your room for a while. After making sure no one had followed you, you pulled out a short letter opener from the drawer in the writing desk and gripped it firmly by the handle and swung it in an arcing motion. It grew as you completed the arc, becoming a full sized scythe.

“Tonight, I have to fulfill my duties as Head of the Grim Reapers. I am the Head of our Main corp. and I must still work, even if I am to be here.” You sighed. “If only work and pleasure didn’t get mixed together, I would rather take pleasure.” Raising your scythe, it shrank back into a letter opener and you returned it to the drawer. “May the souls being reaped tonight have peace.”

As you looked out the window, you noticed an odd patch of land around the garden. It didn’t seem to fit into the landscape very well; plus, it was moving, slowly. Rushing out of your bedroom, you ran all the way out to the garden and right up to the bush. It moved just as you came near and stopped. You kicked it.

“Ow!” came a cry. A head popped out of the bush and stared back at you, angry. “What did you do that for?”

“May I ask as of what business you are here for?” You gave the man a harsh look for trespassing.

“Investigating, ma’am,” he replied. “I’ve heard so many rumors about this place, I thought I’d come check it out and see if the highly famous phantom of Phantomhive actually was here.”

You came closer, placing your face right in front of his. You grinned demonically, eyes giving off a light green glow. “I assure you, sir, there is no phantom here. Now, if you’d like to leave with your life intact, then I suggest you remove yourself from the premises, please.”

The man stared at your in horror. Without a word, he dashed off and never came back. You nodded in accomplishment. “Now back to work,” you said, turning back to enter the manor.